The Marcus Southgate Cinema in Milwaukee, Wisconsin has closed.

Located on Milwaukee's south side on 27th Street between Morgan Avenue and Oklahoma Avenue, the movie theater's last day was September 5, 2023. It was operated by Marcus Theatres Corporation, which mentioned recently that it would be closing this and two other locations in southeastern Wisconsin later this month:

In September, Marcus Theatres is closing its Southgate, Showtime, and Saukville cinemas. The last day of business operation for Southgate is Tuesday, September 5. Saukville and Showtime cinemas will cease business operations on Sunday, September 17. We routinely reviewed the amenities at our theatre locations to provide the best moviegoing experience and determined that our customers at these locations are better served by the more expansive amenities at other nearby Marcus Theatres.

That statement also mentions that the Marcus Showtime Cinema in Franklin and the Marcus Saukville Cinema in Saukville will close September 17, 2023.

The movie theater originally opened April 16, 1993 as the Cinemark Movies 10 (aka Cinemark Movies 10 at Southgate Mall). It was notable for several reasons:

• It was the first Cinemark location in Wisconsin, which was (and still is) dominated by Marcus Theatres.
• It was visually impressive with its yellow and black interior design scheme. Even if you weren't impressed by the colors, it was certainly distinctive when compared to other theaters in the area.
• It boasted the first THX-certified auditoriums in Wisconsin. They had an excellent sound system and bright image, which was not very common in the area in 1993.

By December 1998, it was known as the Cinemark Southgate Cinemas. Marcus Theatres took over the operation in December 1998 and it became known as the Marcus Southgate Cinema and was expanded to fourteen screens. The theater was largely hidden from view from 27th Street until the Southgate Mall was demolished in 1999.

Building For Sale

If you're looking to open a movie theater and think that the area of 27th and Oklahoma is the ideal location, you can make this one yours. It is being listed by Newmark.

Want to See a Movie?

Moviegoers in the area will need to visit one of the other nearby theaters, including the Avalon Theatre in the Bay View neighborhood of Milwaukee, which is a few miles to the east. Of course, Marcus would like you to visit the Marcus BistroPlex Southridge in Greendale near the Southridge Mall. The Marcus South Shore Cinema is actually an easier drive, being about five miles south on I-94 and Rawson Avenue.

View the Photo Gallery

We have a collection of photos of the Marcus Southgate Cinema, which you can see in the Photo Gallery for the theater!

Do You Have Memories of the Southgate Movie Theater?

If you have memories of going to the movies at the Southgate movie theater when it was a Cinemark or Marcus location, please feel free to leave a message on the Reader Comments page for the theater!

Theater photos Copyright SVJ Designs, LLC. All rights reserved.